In an operating room or other service room of a hospital, it is necessary to supply oxygen, vacuum, air, nitrous oxide, nitrogen, helium, carbon dioxide and other non-flammable gases for use in anesthesia gas machines, respirators, ventilators, assistors, surgical vacuum centers, etc.
As a matter of convenience and to save valuable space, such gases are normally supplied from piping in the ceiling of the room. This then makes it necessary to have some connection between the gas outlet in the ceiling and the piece of equipment located at floor level. However, by the same token, such connections should be normally located above the heads of people working in the room but sufficiently close to the floor that they can be readily connected to the piece of equipment. A wide variety of attempts have been made to solve those problems.
The simplest of these approaches is to have a rubber tube connected to the ceiling outlet hanging down into the room to a height above the heads but within reach of the workers. A connection is then made from the gas machine by another flexible hose. In making this connection, the operator must hold the flexible hose dangling from the ceiling with one hand and connect the flexible hose from the piece of equipment with the other hand. This, however, is not a satisfactory solution and other proposals have been made.
For example, the flexible hoses hanging from the ceiling can be made longer than in the previous approach and a chain reel can be attached part way up the hose with the end of the chain extending down and attached to the hose at a lower position. In this manner, the hose can be pulled down to connect to the piece of equipment and when the hose is released, the chain will be reeled in by the reel and form a loop in the hose holding it above the height of the working area. There are numerous problems connected with this type of equipment. Specifically, the reels gather dust and each time the hose is extended, a certain amount of this dust and debris will be scattered in the operating area below. In addition, the chains, reels and particularly, the loops formed in the hoses have a tendency to become entangled and hooked upon one another thereby, at times, requiring a certain amount of untangling before they can be used. It has also been a problem in installations such as this to attempt to keep the hose from doubling up or bending to the point where it will eventually become flattened and/or broken at the point of bending.
Yet another approach has been to mount a large reel in the ceiling and to actually reel a flexible hose itself up into the ceiling. The disadvantages of this type of operation are even more numerous than the other approaches. Such a reel must have a rather strong spring in order to reel the hose all the way from floor level to the ceiling. Consequently, when the hose is released, it generally strikes the ceiling in the same manner as a window shade when it is released. This often jerks a piece of equipment up off the floor. In order to prevent the coupling element on the end of the hose from hitting the ceiling and causing damage, there is usually a ball slidably mounted on the hose above the coupling. However, when the hose is released a number of times, striking the ceiling with some force, the ball is shoved closer and closer to the end of the hose. It is also quite obvious that with this type of equipment, one must stand on a chair or step ladder to actually reach the end of the hose when it is held against the ceiling. The reel necessarily causes considerable flattening and pinching of the hose, and eventually, the hose begins to leak, is broken or is flattened to the extent that gas passage therethrough is inhibited. The reel, of course, also collects dust and debris which is released when the hose is pulled down.
Still another approach is to provide a vacuum retractable ceiling mounted column in which all of the various facilities are enclosed and which is adapted to be pulled down from the ceiling for making the connection to the piece of equipment and then pushed back toward the ceiling. Despite the fact that the operator can reach up to the column and connect the piece of equipment to the column with one hand, such a column simply brings the coupling down about 15 inches from its initial position. Obviously, such ceiling columns are extremely expensive and unduly cumbersome.
Recognizing the deficiencies of the previously mentioned prior art structures, some manufacturers have gone to the extent of taking a gasoline station ceiling hose reel and converting it to operating room use. However, this type of equipment has rotating seals and it is almost impossible to make a rotating seal that will hold dry oxygen under pressure without a certain amount of leakage.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a simple, inexpensive and convenient apparatus for connecting a ceiling gas outlet to a piece of equipment located at floor level. Another and further object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for connecting a ceiling mounted gas outlet to a piece of equipment located at floor level which is normally above the working height of the room but can be readily pulled down to make a connection to the equipment. Still another object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for connecting a ceiling mounted gas outlet to a piece of equipment located at floor level which has a sufficient amount of flexibility so that an accidental striking of the apparatus will not injure the operator or knock over the equipment to which it is connected. Another and further object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for connecting a ceiling mounted gas outlet to a piece of equipment located at floor level which is not prone to collect dirt and scatter such dirt in the working area when the apparatus is operated. These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description.